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Summary List of stories Phase II Night: Ashes, Metal, And Corruption << chapter 47 Chapter 48 of 75 Chivalry's Dead chapter 49 >> << previous scene Scene 2 of 2 next scene >> Location Participants Time Summary Prologue | Phase I | Phase II | Epilogue 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 Text A few hours later, and Scrivener's vision had returned mostly to normal: he was still seeing auras around things, but he no longer saw otherworldly beasts or unidentifiable, beautiful and terrible things when he looked at ponies and people. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had gotten Big Mac back on his hooves, although both head and body would likely be wrapped in bandages for a while from the hits he had taken. They had also fetched Avalon, who had seemed to mostly-understand that something serious had happened, and behaved herself for her parents. Apple Bloom and Scarlet Sage had also rejoined them, both embarrassed they hadn't been more help... but in even just helping get Big Mac away, they had done a lot, as Luna and Applejack both reassured them. They were staying out at the farm tonight... although tomorrow, bright and early, they would likely come and find Luna for training. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike had secured the boutique during the fight to look after the foals: others had joined them as well, and Fluttershy had gotten the Phooka to help out. Hevatica and Atrus had both also stayed in the boutique to help protect the children... at first, the parents and some of the foals had been a little scared of the demons – not to mention the fact that there was a battle line of Phooka sitting outside silently – but Atrus was silent and dedicated, and Hevatica had reassured the foals with compassion and gentility that helped win even the most worried pony over. Fluttershy was staying in town tonight to help clean things up with Rarity and Spike, and tend to the scared, wounded and few dead. Phooka and other creatures of darkness were on silent patrol... as were nervous ponies and Nibelung, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of Clockwork World and their machinations. But more than anypony being worried about what might show up, what might happen next... it was clear they were all going through the motions of trying to move on from what had already happened. Luna rested her head on Scrivener's shoulder, a mug of coffee in front of her, and Twilight sat beside the winged unicorn, silently holding her hoof beneath the table. They were seated across from Pinkamena and Sleipnir: Pinkie Pie had long gone to bed, not long after Celestia had arrived from Canterlot and hurried to Sugar Cube Corners once she'd discovered what had happened. The ivory winged unicorn was sitting quietly at the side of the table, looking over the still half-costumed – and in Scrivener's case, polymorphed – ponies before she said softly: "I am sorry-" "Stop it, Princess Sunshine. It's really goddamn annoying." Pinkamena grumbled, and then she reached out and picked up her own mug of coffee between her hooves, sipping at it grumpily as Sleipnir squeezed her gently around the shoulders and smiled faintly at her, looking embarrassed still but also trying to be reassuring. "We fought. We made it out alive, minus a few dwarves. Did better without your whining anyway." Celestia sighed quietly, and then she shook her head before finally looking across at Twilight, asking quietly: "So it had some kind of shield that protected it from magic?" Twilight nodded slowly, answering: "Valor was wearing... it looked like a big metal thing on her back. Cowlick said she's going to analyze it with Ross and Greece and another of the Architects... Cowlick has this crazy idea that she can maybe figure out how it worked." Celestia nodded slowly, then she looked quietly over at Scrivener, who was slowly running his claw silently around the edge of his glass of cola. He studied this almost intently, and then he sighed softly as he closed his eyes, murmuring quietly: "I know you want to know, but... I don't know if I can tell this story more than once. Even the short version..." "Then what can you tell me, Scrivener?" Celestia's tone was gentle as she leaned forwards, studying him curiously before she asked finally: "It brought more memories to light, didn't it? Not just images of Valor and her life... or rather, how she came to be Valor, assuming you suffered the same flux that you did when Delight was killed... something apart from that is bothering you, though, isn't it?" "Memories." Scrivener smiled faintly and closed his eyes, then he nodded slowly, rubbing at his head and murmuring: "My head is full of memories. And most of them aren't even my own anymore... more of Visionary's life came through and..." He couldn't help but smile wryly. "I keep seeing her... you know, the pony who became Visionary in Clockwork World... around Ponyville. It's driving me crazy. I keep wanting to go yell at her for answers but I know she doesn't know anything about this and... so that would be awkward. "But now I can see... not just more of Delight's memories, but I see a lot of the memories of things that occurred specifically between Delight and Valor in my mind." He closed his eyes, rubbing at his face with his claw slowly. "I'm beginning to understand why Visionary gave me this power... at least, I think I do. Through their memories I'm learning more about Decretum, Clockwork World... I'm learning more about how it was ruled, what dangers lurk there, maybe even what vulnerabilities there are. I just... worry that I'm going to be completely insane and thus useless to you by the time it's over." Scrivener looked up with a sigh, and Celestia studied him for a moment before she said softly: "Do you know that you're still in your polymorphed shape?" "Half and half." Scrivener smiled a little despite himself, then he glanced quietly across the room to where Antares was asleep on a pile of blankets, rubbing moodily at his face. "I guess I'm... too used to this." "See, that's why I like you." Pinkamena said mildly, and she picked up her glass before Scrivener sighed and did the same, the two clinking their glasses together before the demon leaned back and reached up to absently stroke under Sleipnir's chin when he mumbled a little. "Shut up, stud. I like you plenty too, but you're not in the mental asylum with me. You're more of an outpatient." Sleipnir huffed a bit, and then he hesitated before looking over at Celestia, asking finally: "Sister, when does thou think we can stage an attack upon Decretum in retaliation for what they have done? Although... 'tis troubling, is it not, that they are willing to wait such periods of times between direct attacks upon us instead of striking again and again once we are weakened... and worse, I have not seen any of their countless soldiers. They have merely sent... what, a mockery of my beloved, terrified a chaos entity into wreaking mayhem, and now this horrid thing." Celestia nodded slowly, saying pointedly: "But that is exactly why we must hold off on the attack for now, Sleipnir. Odin and Kvasir are in Valhalla, working hard to try and find a way to gaze into Clockwork World just as the Prophet seems to have the power to gaze into ours. I am looking into ways to do this myself... we need information before we go attempting to wildly break into an alien, hostile realm. Especially with how powerful our opponents are, little brother... something your cracked skull should remind you of." "Aye, never before has the crown of my head suffered such injury, and once thou slapped me off a cliff and I bounced all the way down the mountain on my head." Sleipnir remarked moodily, and Luna smiled wryly as Twilight looked over at Celestia in surprise, but the enormous earth pony only shrugged and said easily: "I have been told I can be very annoying at times. 'Tis probably true, and 'twas probably even worse for my beloved siblings. After all, they had no way to flee from me in the past." "Not for lack of trying." Celestia smiled a bit, shaking her head slowly. "More than once, as I recall, I tried to leave you behind when it was just us journeying together..." "Aye, and Mother Nature would always lead me back to thee. I think she knew of the wickedness thou had planned for her and desired a preemptive vengeance upon thy rainbow head." Sleipnir replied cheerfully, and Celestia sighed tiredly before the vine-maned stallion smiled a bit, flicking his still-dyed locks. "'Tis too bad thou did not get to see my costume. I was told I made a very pretty thou. On that note, I have often wondered what thou would look like as a stallion. I somehow think thou would be most handsome, but also in all likelihood of ridiculous size that thou would make me feel most tiny and ashamed of myself." Celestia only shook her head as Pinkamena snorted in amusement, then she looked over at him and gave a half-hidden smile. "You're hard to live with." Sleipnir nodded in agreement, and then he leaned forwards and kissed her forehead gently, stroking her cheek slowly before he said gently: "And thou art a cruel and wicked demon, sweet phoenix. And I thank Mimir every day I have thee in my life." Pinkamena grumbled and looked away, but she was smiling a little wider now before she sighed and gestured violently at the others, saying grumpily: "Alright, enough. All of you losers, get out of my shop. And be quiet about it, don't wake sissy up or I'll kill you all in your sleep." Luna sighed and rolled her eyes, but then she nodded moodily, looking over at Scrivener and Twilight. "I suppose the demon is right... we should head home. Scrivener, thou needs to lay thy head down and sleep off the last of thy vision, and Twilight, thy costume cannot seem to decide whether or not it is going to stay on or come off. And... I suppose, Celestia, if thou desires, thou may return with us to the cabin. But thou must not poke and prod with too many questions or I shall pummel thee." "You read my mind." Celestia gazed at her younger sibling affectionately, and then she promised, when Luna gave her a pointed look: "I won't ask too many questions, don't worry. I just... want to make sure that you're all okay, most of all." "We're always okay." Scrivener smiled a bit as he, Luna, and Twilight slid out of their bench seat... and when Celestia gave him an amused look, he shrugged and said finally: "Well, okay, we always find a way to make things okay, how about that?" "A little better, but still a lie." Celestia was smiling, though, before she turned her eyes to Sleipnir and Pinkamena, bowing her heads to them and saying softly: "Brother, sister. Take care of yourselves." Sleipnir smiled warmly as Pinkamena looked surprised at this, and then she grumbled under her breath and threw her empty mug at Celestia, but the ivory equine easily caught this with telekinesis and set it gently down as the demon grumbled: "Just get the hell out of my shop." Scrivener strode over to gently pick up Antares and slip the sleeping foal carefully onto his back as Celestia laughed softly and headed for the door, and Twilight and Luna both smiled to the demon and her husband. Sleipnir waved cheerfully to them as Pinkamena sighed, but rose a hoof and gave a grumpy wave as the group headed for the door, mumbling to herself. "Sister. Sister my flank." Sleipnir leaned down and kissed her temple gently, and the demon closed her eyes, but allowed herself to smile after a moment as the door swung quietly closed, and neither pony had to speak as they embraced one-another tightly and curled together in comfortable silence. Category:Transcript Category:Story